Pain loading pellets with cracked fingers/thumbs.

[josixpack]

A bit of topic and move is necessary but do any of you suffer from cracked thumbs or fingers in the winter months??  I do and it can be painful especially grabbing and loading pellets.  If you haven’t heard of O'Keeffe's Working Hands Cream you have to give it a try.  I’ve tried everything from creams, oils and Vaseline covered hands with gloves on at night and nothing has worked like this O'Keeffe's stuff.  In just a couple days my cracks were gone and no more pain.

Just thought I’d share.

[Roadworthy]

Never heard of it.  Bag Balm is pretty easy to find, though.

[Ol'DeadEye]

Years ago, in my cable splicing days, guys would have similar problems from working in loose dessicant-filled cables.
Many of them swore by "bag balm", a product for softening and healing cow udders.
One alternative to consider, and cheap too.
Local farm supply store carries it.

[longhunter]

love bag balm. my grandfather used it all his life.

[cdegrassi]

What about those pellet pens?
They have the tip to seat the pellets so you don't have to push them with the thumb.

Cheers
Chris

[ancient1one]

 O'Keeffe's Working Hands Cream is good stuff that works but it's expensive. Try Aquaphor by Eucerin. As good or better than O'Keeffe's and costs about half. Amazon sells both.

If my hands get really bad I find switching from Aquaphor to O'Keeffe's every other day works best.

[Jim_R]

Thanks for the tip. Been dealing with this for many winters now. Ordered!

[daveb50]

When I worked winters outside, I used Corn Huskers hand lotion.

[Bullit]

Yup.  Bag Cream, or many of the udder creams is good stuff.  Cheap at the farm suppliers.

[Racer X]

I am an auto mechanic of over thirty years. My fingers are a little cracked. I was at the doctor with a torn rotator cuff. She said I need to drink water. It would help with my dry skin and fingers. I said I use cream. Sh laughed and said " you can soak in a tub of cream but it won't help as much as water". She said how much did you drink today. Not coke beer or coffee. But WATER? I confessed none. In summer I drink lots of water but in winter I just don't drink enough.
Just try it. Drink two or three bottles a day. In three days you will notice a difference. All the years of pain over a couple glasses of water. Plus it helps other things.

[Blackie44]

Working hand cream worked like magic for me.

[Sandaholic]

The bag balm works way better for me. I've never had much of a problem with cracked hands in the cold but I did this winter. Couldn't find bag balm in the stores so I tried that working hands stuff in the little green tub. Didn't work worth a darn. Next week I found the bag balm and that stuff just flat out works. Healed up the hands nice. Works good on rough feet as well.

My girlfriend says my feet are no longer like razor blades 

[westtexasrancher]

Same issue. Try working hands or the cream from Duluth trading. Only two things that have worked for my bleeding hands.

[mista meener]

The bag balm works way better for me. I've never had much of a problem with cracked hands in the cold but I did this winter. Couldn't find bag balm in the stores so I tried that working hands stuff in the little green tub. Didn't work worth a darn. Next week I found the bag balm and that stuff just flat out works. Healed up the hands nice. Works good on rough feet as well.

My girlfriend says my feet are no longer like razor blades 

yep the working hands cream did not for me either. I will try that bag balm stuff

[josixpack]

I am an auto mechanic of over thirty years. My fingers are a little cracked. I was at the doctor with a torn rotator cuff. She said I need to drink water. It would help with my dry skin and fingers. I said I use cream. Sh laughed and said " you can soak in a tub of cream but it won't help as much as water". She said how much did you drink today. Not coke beer or coffee. But WATER? I confessed none. In summer I drink lots of water but in winter I just don't drink enough.
Just try it. Drink two or three bottles a day. In three days you will notice a difference. All the years of pain over a couple glasses of water. Plus it helps other things.

Good point, the first ingredient is O'Keeffe's is water.

[Sandaholic]

The bag balm works way better for me. I've never had much of a problem with cracked hands in the cold but I did this winter. Couldn't find bag balm in the stores so I tried that working hands stuff in the little green tub. Didn't work worth a darn. Next week I found the bag balm and that stuff just flat out works. Healed up the hands nice. Works good on rough feet as well.

My girlfriend says my feet are no longer like razor blades 

yep the working hands cream did not for me either. I will try that bag balm stuff

Try it, you won't regret it. I work construction and am required to wear gloves basically at all times. What worked best for me was putting some on right before I start my shift and then slide the gloves over. I was pleasantly surprised how awesome the bag balm worked.

[bgmcgee]

Tried them all and okeefs works the best for me too. I work in a freezer which is 20 below and the gloves just not so good all the moisture out of your hands. This stuff works and it don't feel greasy either.